Some connectors for connecting multiple wire cable (e.g. multiple coaxial cables or multiple twisted pair cables) are known in the prior art. These connectors are used, for example, in telecommunication applications to connect a multiple wire cable to an electronic card, for example at the face plate of a 19″ rack card. Such a connector is described for example in EP-A-0 952 637.
The connector of EP-A-0 952 637 comprises two metal casing components for housing a socket connector that is adapted to receive a plurality of coaxial or twisted pair cables each terminated in a termination socket. The metal casing provides an electromagnetic shield but it leaks somewhat through the opening in the casing through which the multiple wire cable passes.
There is a need in the telecommunication field to increase the signal density and the signal transmission rate. This need can be achieved by increasing the number of wires or cables or by increasing the frequency by which the signals are transmitted. The first approach results in the connector becoming rather large while the second approach results in problems of shielding electromagnetic radiation.
Electromagnetic radiation can exit, for example, from the face plates of electronic cards to which the connector may be connected. This electromagnetic radiation can penetrate into the connector through its front end. The outer shell of the connector has a passage or throughhole through which the multiple wire cable passes into the connector. The more wires contained in the cable, the larger the cable size and, accordingly, the larger the passage or throughhole must be. However, large throughholes mean that the lower limit of the frequency at which electromagnetic radiation leaks through the throughhole decreases.
Accordingly, there is a need for better electromagnetic shielding of connections between multiple wire cable connectors (especially having a large number of individual wires) and electronic devices, with electronic cards, to permit high speed and large band width signal transmission as well as high signal density transmission through the connection.
EP-A-0,074,205 and EP-A-0,670,082 describe coaxial high-frequency, plug-type connectors for multiple coaxial lines that have individual termination sockets for the individual coaxial cables inserted into associated receiving pockets and that open at their rear ends. They do not have any outer shell arranged around the row of termination sockets.